Lace. The delicacy of angel wings. By Lacey

I love lace. I have loved it since I can remember. It’s not just a girl thing. It’s an artistic thing too. As an artist I am drawn to the beauty, precision and textures of lace. No pun intended! I confess I know very little about it which is why I started this blog. Now I must learn so I can educate my readers. We will be learning together.

I do own a few bits of antique lace found in an old trunk that once belonged to my grandmother. I researched the patterns and found they are mostly black chantilly french lace made during the 1800’s.

Below is a woman dressed in an antique lace dress. The photo, taken around 1900, was obtained at the Library of Congress Online. Please go there to see the original copyright free image. It is now old enough to be in the public domain.

The lace dress she is wearing is typical of a light summer dress. Notice how the pattern changes as you go down toward the hem. There is also a pattern that goes around the bottom of the skirt. By today’s standards, the effort to make this dress is considered quite a lot. Back in that day making lace and other forms of needlework was expected of women.

Antique lace may be worth thousands of dollars depending on the age, type and quality. Vintagetextile.com has an example of vintage lace valued at around thirteen thousand dollars. This “Punto In Aria” or “stitch in the air” (Italian) is an example of ancient needlepoint lace. It is estimated to have been made in the 1600’s. It is in beautiful condition for its age.

Lacey